The First Senshi
by SoA
Summary: The rivalry between the first senshi, Sailor SeishouYami and Sailor MahouHenshin, finaly comes to a climax after eons of building action, and Sailor Moon and her friends are caught in the middle of it, four of them unable to henshin!
1. Part 1

The First Senshi Part 1  
  
"Sailor Moon!" Mercury yelled, "Look out!"  
  
Eternal Sailor Moon whirled around and ducked just in time to see a strange, dark clad senshi with a malicious grin, jump at her wielding an obsidian black staff aimed at where Sailor Moon's head would have been. A second senshi followed just behind with a similar weapon. Sailor Moon dodged out of her way just in time as well, shrieking.  
  
The second woman cackled and slowed to a stop next to the first. "Well, Sailor Theta," the first started, "It seems that we have found some of the White Realm Senshi that Mistress was telling us about."  
  
"Who are you?" Sailor Jupiter demanded from a ways off, looking prepared to attack.  
  
The second laughed, "I'm Sailor Theta!"  
  
"And I'm Sailor Epsilon!" the first declared.  
  
"Two of the many Black Universe Senshi," they said together and Theta laughed.  
  
Sailor Mars gasped quietly, "Sailor Senshi?!"  
  
"Their uniforms are almost the same as Phi's and Chi's," Sailor Venus commented quietly, "Maybe they're related..."  
  
"Right you are, girley," Sailor Epsilon said while, Theta snickered, then continued, "All of the Sailor Animimates and Sailor Galaxia were once of your Realm but then saw the truth and power of ours and turned over, as you should as well. Sailor Phi and Sailor Chi were the only two senshi originally of our order to join with Sailor Galaxia. They were the strongest of her warriors."  
  
"We come her with a proposition for you," Sailor Theta said with a grin, her eyes dancing evilly, "Turn over to the Black Realm, to its gloriousness, or we kill you."  
  
"Never!" Sailor Mars yelled and dashed forward. "Mars Flame Sniper!" The arrow rocketed towards Sailor Theta. Her snickering was something that Rei despised.  
  
"Theta Thunder Javelin!" Sailor Theta yelled and flung a bright yellow lightning bolt to intercept Mars' arrow. They collided with a bright flash and both attacks disappeared. The dark senshi laughed.  
  
"Suit yourselves," Epsilon said indifferently. Then with more vehemence, she added, "Now you die!" She raised her black staff and prepared to attack.  
  
"Not so fast!" A familiar deep voice declared from the roof and the four outer senshi leaped down, lead by Sailor Uranus.  
  
Sailor Epsilon smirked and pointed her onyx rod at the new senshi. "Epsilon Dire Shatter Attack!" she yelled and rust-colored razor energy raced at Sailor Uranus. Before she could dodge, it hit her hard on the chest. Her blue, crystalline broach shattered immediately and her transformation reversed itself in a flurry of yellow energy ribbons. She landed on the ground with a thud; unconscious.  
  
"Uranus!" Sailor Neptune shrieked and immediately kneeled down next to her fallen partner, hovering protectively.  
  
"Why you-!" Sailor Jupiter growled and lunged into action, Mars right behind her.  
  
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"  
  
"Mars Flame Sniper!"  
  
The two dark senshi dodged out of the way easily then returned the gesture.  
  
"Epsilon Dire Shatter Attack!"  
  
"Theta Thunder Javelin!"  
  
Unlike the first two, the second two attacks met their marks, shattering Jupiter and Mars' broaches and leaving them in civilian form, lying unconscious on the ground.  
  
"Stop it!" Sailor Moon yelled, shaking her head frantically and covering her ears.  
  
"Ha!" Epsilon said simply and aimed her black weapon at the senshi's leader. "Epsilon Dire Shatter Attack!"  
  
"NO!" Venus shoved her princess out of the way without a moment's thought and took the blast of the attack herself. He broach shattered and she landed on the ground as Aino Minako, no more conscious than Sailor Mars, Jupiter, or Uranus.  
  
Sailor Moon looked as if she was about to cry.  
  
Theta aimed her staff at Sailor Moon.  
  
Saturn and Pluto rushed over in front of their leader as a determined wall while Mercury rapidly analyzed their enemies.  
  
-Help me!-  
  
A voice echoed through all of their heads. All five of the remaining senshi looked around stunned as something stirred inside of each of them.  
  
A moment later, the two evil senshi relaxed and Epsilon laughed while Theta snickered. "So Mistress has Mahou-Henshin in her grasp now. The time has finally come to pass!" Epsilon stated and laughed evilly some more, "The first White Realm Senshi has fallen and you all soon will too."  
  
"Farewell!" Theta called and the pair disappeared in a flash of light. 


	2. Part 2

The First Senshi Part 2  
  
There was silence.  
  
But it was not complete silent. In the stillness, there were two heartbeats and the slow, even breathing of two children asleep.  
  
A tiny spirit dressed in an odd white dress, with many pearly beads draped across her, floated across the glowing expanse and tapped each of the two girls with then end of her silvery stead. Instantly the girls began to stir. The moment the two girls started to move, the tiny white-haired spirit disappeared in a small twinkling flash.  
  
The first of the two to open her sky blue eyes was much smaller than the other and radiated the essence of innocence. She had thick, dark blond hair that hung loosely down to the middle of her back. She simply sat up and floated in space, watching the second girl with much curiosity.  
  
Nearly a minute later, the second girl opened her own dark blue eyes. Her long, wavy dark hair shrouded her body. The red highlights in her raven black hair contrasted with her flawless pale skin.  
  
The two girls' eyes locked with each other's for a long time in the silence.  
  
"You are?" the first girl asked curiously.  
  
The second thought for a moment, then a name came to her. "Seishou-Yami," she answered, then returned the question, "And you?"  
  
A name came to the first girl almost instantly, "Mahou-Henshin."  
  
The two smiled peacefully at each other then took each other's hand for a moment. Color flashed over each of the girls, primarily white around Mahou-Henshin and primarily dark around Seishou-Yami.  
  
They emerged from the light wearing clothes on their previously clothesless bodies. The outfits consisted of a body suit, skirt, sailor collars, a couple bows, and stars for each.  
  
Seishou-Yami looked out into the expanse of glittering crystals and flowers. "I know deep down that we are just one of those things-" she started meditatively, staring into the distance.  
  
"Starseeds," Mahou-Henshin added almost instinctively.  
  
"Yes. We are starseeds embodied," the dark-haired girl continued, "I feel that I must wander and find a purpose for myself. Farewell Mahou-Henshin." Seishou-Yami stared off into the distance again then began walking. Her blue boots made no sound and her departure seemed somehow eerie.  
  
Mahou-Henshin looked about at the glittering starseeds. "These seeds need to be planted," she said quietly to herself, "I know, in my heart, that it is my duty to plant them."  
  
"That call for help," Sailor Mercury suggested thoughtfully, as she and the other conscious senshi sat in her apartment while her mother was at work, "It was probably Sailor Mahou-Henshin."  
  
"Yea," Sailor Moon agreed, "From what Sailor Epsilon and Sailor Theta were saying, it sure seems like it."  
  
"Also from what they were saying," Haruka, who was the only injured senshi to come to yet, but considerably weak still, added, "We are in this deeper than we know. The whole White Universe and Black Universe concept is completely new to me."  
  
"But why were Epsilon and Theta here in the first place?" Sailor Pluto asked.  
  
"We can't be dwelling over things we don't know," Sailor Saturn said seriously, her menacing glaive lying at her feet. It was often easy to forget that the girl was only a small child. "We do know that someone has asked for our help and this was probably someone named Sailor Mahou-Henshin. This person seems very important, so we need to help her."  
  
Mercury nodded in agreement, "She was captured by Seishou-Yami, who Theta and Epsilon work for."  
  
"Oh!" Sailor Neptune understood, "So the best way to find Mahou-Henshin is to follow those two."  
  
"Yes," Mercury nodded, "I can try to track where they went with my mini-computer, but I'll need to go back to where we fought them."  
  
"Neptune," Sailor Moon started, "You're still in good condition. Why don't you come with Sailor Mercury and I to that place?"  
  
"Not without me, you're not," Haruka declared gruffly, standing up slowly and unsteadily while Neptune tried in vain to get her to sit back down.  
  
"You can't Haruka," Neptune protested meekly, still holding on to the other girl's arm and trying to force her to sit. "You're still weak."  
  
"Michiru!" Haruka raised her voice in frustration and Neptune let go of her arm and cringed, her eyes widened. The blond realized what she had done and lowered her voice to a gentle rumble apologetically, "I'm sorry Michiru. I didn't mean it... But I really must go with you."  
  
"You're not strong enough, Haruka," Sailor Pluto said sternly, "Nor are you fully recovered. I refuse to let you go."  
  
"When I henshin I'll be fine," Haruka insisted, without waiting for any other cue, she took out her henshin pen and held it up. "Uranus Crystal Power, Makeup!"  
  
There was a long silence and nothing happened.  
  
Haruka dropped the wand in shock. "I can't henshin!" she exclaimed.  
  
A look of deep worry crossed Sailor Pluto's face and it deepened still further. "I can't un-henshin," she stated gravely.  
  
"That just complicates things more," Saturn added darkly.  
  
Mercury finally touched her earring and the blue visor disappeared. She shut her computer with a short click as it latched. She and her two companions, Sailor Moon and Sailor Neptune, were gathered on the street trying to figure out how to get to Seishou-Yami and Mahou-Henshin.  
  
"It's true," she said, still staring at the place where the two evil senshi had disappeared, "There is another universe, and that's where they went."  
  
Sailor Neptune gasped.  
  
"So how do we get there," Sailor Moon asked.  
  
"That's the problem," Mercury admitted and finally took her eyes from the spot and turned to look at her friends, "I can't see any way. We'll have to use Sailor Teleport, but I don't know how we'll be able to bring the others along."  
  
"We're definitely not leaving them behind," Sailor Moon said firmly.  
  
Neptune giggled, "Haruka wouldn't let us. I'm sure of that."  
  
A forced giggle emitted from Sailor Mercury's lips. "Well," she said professionally, "We best get back to the others and tell them our findings."  
  



	3. Part 3

The First Senshi Part 3  
  
It did not take Sailor Mahou-Henshin long to discover how to plant the starseeds. Her first was in a soldier that drew her power from and represented the home of the Galaxy Caldron: Sagittarius Zero Star. As she floated around the Caldron, she discovered the brightest starseed near the center of the garden. Near it floated nine others shining brighter than much of the rest of the Caldron. Taking them with her, she searched for the perfect system to cast these seeds, to make the most pure and powerful of her soldiers.  
  
Floating in the darkness among the stars, one star caught her attention. "What is that?" she murmured to herself. The planets encircling it each had great power at their centers as well as the star itself. "The Sol System..." she realized, "I've heard rumors of this place. It would be perfect for these seeds!" She first produced the most powerful and sent it towards the star, the Sun. Somehow, something went wrong, and instead of it reaching the sun, the single silver satellite around the third planet caught it. "No! It's not supposed to do that!" she cried.  
  
In her exasperation, she sent off the second most powerful of the starseeds, again towards the sun. This time, the blue planet itself caught the crystalline seed. "What? No!" she yelled again, practically screaming at the starseed as it veered in its course. "The sun needs a powerful protector but none of these other eight seeds are right for it," she mumbled. Dividing up the remaining seeds, she sent each to the other eight innermost planets. Each of the starseeds landed in a princess of the planets, giving the royalty more power. One day, those girls would discover their powers and use them to defend their worlds against invasion.  
  
Later Mahou-Henshin returned to the system and sprinkled each of the satellites of the planets with sailor starseeds, to make protectors for each of the princesses. At last she found a powerful prism-like starseed that was perfect for the Sun and the sun at last took it. The system was complete. Next she moved on to a near-by system of just five planets and two suns to give them starseeds. Their powers were far from as strong as those of the Sol System. The Sol System senshi would always remain among her favorites. Time and time again she returned to it to plant a few more protectors here and there for when they were needed most.  
  
By the time Sailor Moon, Mercury, and Neptune had returned, Minako, Rei, and Makoto had all come to, but all three were aching.  
  
"So is it true that we can't henshin?" Makoto asked, after Ami carefully explained their findings.  
  
"Haruka told you, didn't she?" Sailor Saturn asked sharply. "If she couldn't, I can't see how you could."  
  
"Did you try?" Sailor Moon asked anxiously.  
  
Makoto glanced at Minako and Rei and the two nodded.  
  
"Jupiter Crystal Power!"  
  
"Venus Crystal Power!"  
  
"Mars Crystal Power!"  
  
"Makeup!" After their last unison yell, there was dead silence once again. As they feared, nothing happened.  
  
"So it is true," Rei said quietly.  
  
"There's a battle going on and we can't help!" Minako hit her fist on the table she knelt by. "There has to be a way!"  
  
"But you can't henshin, and you are all very weak!" Pluto protested.  
  
"There are ways," Haruka said quietly from where she sat on the couch. The Space Sword rested lightly on her lap.  
  
Everyone gasped.  
  
"How did you-?" Sailor Moon stuttered.  
  
"It's still inside of me, all I had to do was call it," she explained, "I doubt I can do any attacks with it though."  
  
Rei had the idea. In one hand she held a white ofuda scroll, "I could use a good bow and some arrows as well."  
  
"Ami," Minako asked, catching the idea, "Do you still have that sword we got a long time ago?"  
  
"Oh!" Mercury exclaimed and hurried into another room, returning moments later with a large rock sword, "Here you go Minako."  
  
As the blond took the sword, Pluto asked, "When did you get that? Where is it from?"  
  
"It came from the moon when we went there during Beryl's reign to talk to Queen Serenity's ghost," Minako explained as she weighed the blade in her hands. "It's made of some poisonous stone that is even harder than diamonds. Her highness said it was meant for me, the leader of the princess's protectors."  
  
"Huh," Haruka commented, "It's strange that we never heard about this before."  
  
Minako just blushed and lowered her eyes.  
  
Makoto laughed, "I guess you never needed to know about it, right? At any rate, I don't think I need any weapons to help me out. I can fight with my bare hands!"  
  
"Then we're set," Rei nodded, "I just need to get my bow and arrows from home."  
  
"So we have weapons and we know that where we have to go," Minako summed up, "But how do we get there?"  
  
"We could use 'Sailor Teleport'. I mean, we've done it with Chibiusa before she could transform," Sailor Moon suggested.  
  
"That's true," Sailor Pluto nodded, "But that was just one tiny girl for you five, not four girls for five again."  
  
"We're stronger now," Sailor Moon protested.  
  
"Plus we could use the full moon to power up," Mercury suggested, "We did that when we went to the Moon. If we hurry to get ready, we can do it. The full moon is tonight, after all."  
  
"I'm not sure if that's lucky or not," Saturn commented darkly, "We might not be ready by then. We just know that Epsilon and Theta went to another universe, but if it's anything like our universe, it's huge! How can we find them?"  
  
"Maybe I can search using my Aqua Mirror," Neptune suggested, holding out the mirror in front of her. "I could look for Epsilon and Theta, or better yet 'Mahou-Henshin', after all, she's the one we're supposed to be rescuing."  
  
Mercury nodded, "You both have a point. Michiru, do you need the data I collected about the other universe?"  
  
Sailor Neptune gently shook her head, staring into the glassy surface of her mirror and mouthing the words 'Mahou-Henshin' silently to herself. A few moments later, her aqua eyes widened and she looked slowly up towards the window across the room from her. Ami and Minako, who stood near her, were also wearing stunned expressions. "It's you!" she whispered, in awe.  
  
Everyone else in the room immediately turned their attention to near the window. There stood a tiny girl, a noticeably shorter than even Usagi. Strangely, she looked just as old as, or older than any of the other girls there. Her feet were bare and she wore a short magenta dress that looked like it was from a time past, with an ornate gold belt. Her hair was fluffy and dark blond, hanging just down to her mid-back. Beneath the curved bangs, her vibrant blue eyes sparkled playfully. "I could tell you the way," she said in a sweet voice.  
  
"Who-?" Sailor Mercury stammered.  
  
"I am Mahousama Aihime, but I rarely use that name," the small girl answered, "I am usually called Sailor Mahou-Henshin."  
  
Several of the girls gasped and Saturn's eyes narrowed. "Something is strange about you," She observed skeptically.  
  
Aihime giggled, "You've always been an observant one. It's true. I'm not really tangible, nor do I have a shadow. I suppose that's because I'm not really here. But that's enough of that."  
  
"Was that you that we heard calling for help?" Makoto asked.  
  
The tiny figure nodded, "Fortunately Seishou-Yami didn't feel the need to watch me too closely or kill me like I thought she would yet." Aihime's complete calmness about her situation was stunning.  
  
"It seems a little ironic," Haruka commented, "That you're standing here in front of us and telling us how to rescue you."  
  
Giggling again, Mahou-Henshin replied, "I suppose that's true, but you were just discussing how to come to find me, weren't you? The real key is to stop Sailor Seishou-Yami. She doesn't understand what she is doing will wind up worse for her as well."  
  
"Oh?" Pluto asked, but Aihime just continued on.  
  
"You are correct about the second universe that Sailor Epsilon and Sailor Theta went to, however, is it is just a small alternate dimension. Seishou-Yami created it for her headquarters. Her soldiers are all over this universe just as mine are. To accomplish what you wish, however, you will need to go to that parallel universe," she explained calmly, "As you were saying about using Sailor Teleport, that would work to get you there to get you there."  
  
"Even though four of us can't henshin?" Minako asked.  
  
Before Aihime could answer, Rei interrupted, "Why is that anyway, does that have anything to do with you?"  
  
The small woman hung her head, "Unfortunately it does. I made a mistake long ago..." She trailed off then looked up sharply, glancing wildly about her. "Oh no!" she gasped, "Sailor Sigma! She's back!" Not a moment later, her figure was gone from Ami's apartment.  
  
"I think our job just got even more urgent," Makoto commented, "Let's get going."  
  
The other girls nodded in agreement and started heading for the door. Usagi lingered slightly. She found it strange how Aihime had called them all her soldiers. Why was that? They had never even seen her before.  
  
"You coming Usagi?" Sailor Mercury asked, when she noticed her leader falling behind.  
  
"Mhm!" Sailor Moon nodded and put a smile on her face, hurrying out after them.  
  
Five senshi and four girls stood in the middle of a park, the same place just five of them had stood shortly after they first became Sailor Senshi. Those five couldn't help but feel a strange déjà vu sensation at it.  
  
Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Pluto, Sailor Neptune, and Sailor Saturn stood in a ring holding hands, surrounding the other ring of girls: Makoto, Minako, Rei, and Haruka. Minako, Rei, and Haruka each carried their weapons; ready to fight the instant they arrived in the dark universe. Makoto, on the other hand, stood casually, staring up at the full moon and stars.  
  
"Ready?" Sailor Moon asked finally.  
  
No one spoke, but everyone nodded solemnly.  
  
"Okay," she responded, closing her eyes, "Moon Eternal Power!"  
  
"Mercury Planet Power!"  
  
"Neptune Planet Power!"  
  
"Saturn Planet Power!"  
  
"Pluto Planet Power!"  
  
Pink, blue, teal, violet, and indigo light exploded around them, reaching to the sky like Northern lights.  
  
"Sailor Teleport!" all nine girls yelled, even those who were not transformed. In an instant, they were gone, but their colored lights lingered dancing in the sky a while longer. 


	4. Part 4

The First Senshi

_Part 4_

One morning, like every morning, Sailor Mahou-Henshin reminded herself of her duty by strolling through the endless garden of starseeds. "So beautiful, all shining," she sighed happily.

"So Mahou-Henshin, I see you have found a purpose for yourself. Planting the starseeds?" said a familiar voice that Mahou-Henshin had not heard since— she could not remember when she last heard that voice.

"Seishou-Yami-chan?" she asked sweetly, turning around to greet her visitor.

"Of course, my friend," the taller girl answered, "Where have you been planting these seeds, Mahou-Henshin? I see there are many fewer here than when I left. The brightest are gone."

"Oh, I planted those first!" Mahou-Henshin said and smiled, "You see, their hosts will be my soldiers, my Sailor Senshi. They can protect their systems from—"

"_Your _soldiers, are they?" Seishou-Yami suddenly interrupted bitterly, "So you planned to use up all the powerful starseeds on your own soldiers? You planned to get rid of me with them, did you? You want to control this universe on your own, don't you?"

"I didn't say—"Mahou-Henshin stammered defensively.

"Ha!" the dark senshi laughed, while scooping the starseeds in front of her up into her arms, "Well, I have news for you, little one! This isn't the only universe! I created my own just to be the base. Now that I know what you are planning, I can use it for my headquarters to take on your soldiers with _my _soldiers."

"Seishou-Yami, I—!" she protested.

"Just you watch, I will be the one owning this universe as well!" she laughed menacingly and leaped up and out of the Caldron, starseeds gathered in her hands.

"I didn't want that at all..." Mahou-Henshin said quietly, tears welling up in her eyes, "You were my sister, I don't want to fight you. I just..."

When she thought Mahou-Henshin was not looking, Sailor Seishou-Yami would return back to the Galaxy Caldron to sneak off with more starseeds to plant in her own senshi. Right from the start, she taught them hatred for Sailor Mahou-Henshin and all of her soldiers. Aching inside, Mahou-Henshin prepared herself and her senshi for battle.

"Where are we?" Minako asked, her voice echoing eerily in the dark corridor of black stone.

"This must be the Black Universe," Sailor Moon said, staring into the darkness.

"It's so..." Makoto started then paused before continuing, "cold."

"Cold hardly describes it," Haruka disagreed, "My skin doesn't feel it; my soul does."

"We should hurry before this gets to us all," Sailor Pluto urged.

"We should split up," Rei suggested, "that way, we'll find her faster."

"No," Neptune said sharply, "We can't. Not with you four unable to fight."

"We can too fight!" Makoto argued.

"Stop it, stop it!" Pluto scolded, "You see what this place is doing to us already?"

Makoto sighed, "Gomen..."

Before they could proceed down the hall they heard footsteps coming towards them. A moment later, four senshi came out of the darkness, eagerly malicious looks in their eyes.

"Sailor Epsilon!" Sailor Mercury cried in surprise.

"Sailor Theta!" Saturn exclaimed.

"White Universe senshi," Theta laughed.

"We are Sailor Pi," announced the new soldier in blue.

"And Sailor Beta!" the orange-suited woman added.

"We were expecting you," Epsilon said evenly, "Especially after Sailor Sigma caught her chatting with all of you. We couldn't let something like that happen again."

"You didn't _kill _her did you?" Sailor Moon stammered.

Theta laughed, "Of course not. You would _know_ if we did."

"How would—?" Mercury pondered but was cut off.

"Theta Thunder Javelin!"

"Pi Endless Entrancement!"

She screamed and dodged out of the way along with Rei and Haruka. Unlucky Saturn was hit by Pi's attack and stood where she was stunned and unable to move. To their immense relief, her brooch remained intact.

"Hotaru!" Setsuna gasped.

"Deep Submerge!"

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"

The dark senshi retaliated quickly, "Epsilon Dire Shatter Attack!"

"Beta Engulfing Smog!"

The attacks collided and disappeared but Sailor Moon quickly raised her tier, "Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!"

Sailor Pi and Sailor Beta were not quick enough to get out of the way.

Beta screamed while Pi moaned, "That light... the Ginzuishou..."

A moment later, the two senshi were collapsed on the ground, like heaps over their golden staffs.

Epsilon and Theta quickly kneeled down next to their fallen allies. Theta glared up at Sailor Moon, "You have not seen the last of us. Explore if you want, but you won't get far!" With that, all four senshi disappeared.

"Hotaru? Hotaru!" Sailor Pluto said, gently shaking Sailor Saturn, who still held her glaive firmly in her hand.

Suddenly, she blinked and shuddered.

"Hotaru?" Pluto asked.

"That was—"she started quietly, then looked around, "We have to get going!"

"Sailor Moon's attack must have freed her," Mercury commented quietly and Makoto agreed with a nod.

"Let's go!" Minako reminded them all, "We don't have much time before those four come back."

"I don't think it's just those four though," Rei said darkly.

"Anyway," Haruka urged, leading the group forward, "We don't have much time to loose!"

"So Mahou-Henshin, my friend," Sailor Seishou-Yami said, smiling down on Mahou-Henshin from her great throne, "How does it feel to have lost this little game you started?"

"There was no game, and I haven't lost!" Sailor Mahou-Henshin argued from where she knelt on the floor, hands bound behind her back.

"So you have confidence in your senshi?" she asked, "That Sailor Moon doesn't look that impressive to me. Why call her when you could have called someone like your Sailor Galaxia, hm?"

"Sailor Moon's starseed shines brighter than any of the other starseeds that have come from the Caldron! Brighter even than us," the helpless soldier declared boldly.

"You see those shackles on the wall over there?" Seishou-Yami asked, gesturing to the wall behind her captive, who twisted around, trying to catch a glimpse of them, "I want to bring your precious soldiers here, put them over there, and make them watch me kill you."

"You wouldn't—"

"Oh, yes I would," she responded with a smile, "Then I would take all of their starseeds and place them in a new generation of my own soldiers."

"You can't do that!" Mahou-Henshin exclaimed, "They would never be reborn again! You cannot upset the balance!"

"So these are your first ones, are they?" when Mahou-Henshin nodded, her smile widened, "That's why you must be so confident."

"You don't understand," Sailor Mahou-Henshin protested, "You cannot go through with this. You do not know what it would do to the balance."

"So you are using this 'balance' thing to convince me not to kill you?" Seishou-Yami laughed.

"You can't—"

"I'm sick of listening to you!" the dark soldier interrupted, "Sailor Sigma, take her away!"

"Yes, Sailor Seishou-Yami," a purple-clad senshi with a tall silver staff emerged from the shadows and bowed. She strode over to their captive, placed a hand on her head, and then tapped the ground twice with the gold butt of the staff. They were gone.

Alone now, Sailor Seishou-Yami laughed long and hard, her laughter echoing off the stone walls of her great hall. "Sailor Moon," she said when her laughter died down, "You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into."


	5. Part 5

The First Senshi

_Part 5_

"It's so dark!" Rei whined as she stumbled and nearly fell again, "Can't anyone do anything about that?"

"We'll never find our way in this," Makoto agreed, pausing.

Sailor Pluto ignored them and pushed by, her time key clacking on the stone ground with each step, "Your eyes will adjust more and more to the darkness over time."

Minako stepped up behind Makoto and Rei, giving each a firm shove, "We can't stop until we've freed Sailor Mahou-Henshin and gotten our powers back. Remember that."

"She's right," Haruka nodded, "We cannot do our duty to our planet and system if we can't henshin."

"But we can still fight!" Makoto said with a grin, and plunged into the darkness ahead of her, trying to catch up with the rest of the group. Only Michiru hung back with those that could not transform.

"Haruka," Sailor Neptune said softly, "How can you go into battle like this? Without powers?"

"How can I not?" she responded shortly and picked up her pace to catch up as well.

Leading the group with her visor over her face, Sailor Mercury scanned the darkness for any signs of a room of any sort away from the passageway they were in. "Does it bother anyone else how dead the sound is here? It does not resonate like it should in a stone corridor like this," she observed absently.

"You're right," Sailor Moon nodded and shivered. "This place is wrong in so many ways. I just want to get this over with and go home."

"Don't we all?" Setsuna asked, "This place makes me feel as lonely as I was when I guarded the Time Gate."

Suddenly, Sailor Saturn stopped mid-step. She pointed into the blackness and said urgently, "Up there! There's something there!"

"Or someone!" a voice called, followed by laugh, which was quickly joined by two more.

"Charge!" someone else shrieked.

Three more of soldiers of darkness came plunging out of the darkness ahead of them.

They stopped just in front of the senshi and each called out attacks, wielding short wooden rods.

"Nu Light-speed Rupture!"

"Lambda Raging Undulation!"

"Mu Scorching Resistance!"

In the chaos, Makoto, Haruka, Minako, Rei, and Michiru caught up with the group, while the rest scattered.

"Silence Wall!" Saturn screamed, raising her glaive high in the hair. The three attacks ricocheted off the shield, exploding noisily against each other. Avoiding their own attacks, Sailor Nu, Sailor Mu, and Sailor Lambda dove and tumbled out of the way.

"You're not so strong," Rei laughed.

"Neither are you!" the yellow-clad Sailor Lambda laughed ad she rose from the ground.

"Having fun yet?" Her companion, Sailor Mu asked.

"Plenty of fun," Makoto shot back, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "We are exactly the sort of people that love wandering around lost in despair and oppressing darkness."

"Oh, we thought so," Sailor Nu giggled.

"Doesn't that feeling of loneliness get to you too?" Sailor Moon asked. "If you came back to our Universe, you would find a much happier places. Just think." She advanced pleadingly towards them.

Lambda grimaced. "Happiness? I think not."

"How would you know?" Minako asked sharply, "We have lead perfectly happy lives!"

"Lies!" Sailor Nu hissed, but Lambda continued.

"I know, because I was born in your universe," she said flatly, hatred flashing in her eyes. "We all were. We spent the first part of our lives there; that miserable existence that could be called childhood."

"But childhood is a happy time," Sailor Mercury protested. Behind her, Rei and Sailor Saturn exchanged dark glances.

"Wrong again!" Lambda shouted. Sailor Mercury cowered back into the group, away from the dark soldiers— and where Sailor Moon stood. The dark-skinned soldier began again with a face that threatened anyone that would dare interrupt her, "I was born on Prii, in a system so far from yours that your weak astronomers haven't even discovered it yet. When I was young, I went into hiding frequently, both from the warring factions on Prii and from my own hateful family. I nearly starved to death on several occasions. When my entire family was murdered in an invasion that I barely escaped from with my life, I wasn't sure whether to mourn or rejoice.

"It was only then, when I was less than half your age, Sailor Moon, that I finally awakened to my powers as a Sailor Senshi. Sailor Seishou-Yami came to me and chose me as one of her top Sailor Senshi. With a Sailor Crystal and immense power inside of me, I was able to find and release Sailor Prii where she had been locked up by the revolutionists. Together, we destroyed the opposition. By the time I was nearly your age, Sailor Saturn, the rebellion had been squashed and Sailor Prii could once again take control of the planet.

"That was when Sailor Seishou-Yami came to me again and invited me to be one of her personal guards in the Black Universe. Here, she treats us like royalty. Here, I met my first true friends and companions, Sailor Mu and Sailor Nu. There, pain and strife run rampant. I would never go back to that place," she concluded darkly, advancing towards the Sol Senshi. None of them could find words with which to reply.

Nu stepped forward to join her companion. "Unlike all of Mahou-Henshin's soldiers and the rest of Seishou-Yami's, we, her elite, don't have starseeds that were passed down through generations. She seeks out places of injustice on her planets and plants Sailor Crystals in strong-hearted girls there so that Sailor Senshi can bring the justice," she explained. "We are soldiers of justice."

"We are soldiers of justice too!" Sailor Moon protested, "Then shouldn't we be allies?"

"How can you be soldiers of justice?" Mu snapped, "You have never know injustice!"

"There is plenty of injustice in our world!" Sailor Saturn argued. "Why else do you think we'd be around?"

Sailor Mu chuckled and began pacing back and forth in front of the Sol Senshi. "You contradict yourselves," she observed with a smile. "So your world isn't perfectly happy like you claim?" Her piercing gray eyes met momentarily with each of the senshi as she spoke, evoking painful memories, "Have you felt loneliness?"

Sailor Pluto stood alone in the swelling mists of time. While the rest of Serenity's court had been sent into the future, she alone had to stay behind and guard the time gate to keep anyone from passing through. Few people even knew of the gate's existence while even fewer would dare to venture near it. She and her mother used to share this duty from time to time. Now she was alone. Absolutely alone…

Young Ten'ou Haruka stared blankly out her apartment window. There was nothing familiar to her in this part of Tokyo. She left her parents in a town just outside of the capital so that she could attend a better school and pursue her passion in racing. While her wealthy parents sent her the money she needed, they seldom called or write. Her career as a racer, even as a teen, was extremely successful, but her social life was the opposite. Potential friends in the men shied away when they discovered she was female while girls lost interest in her as soon as they made the same discovery. There was that beautiful young violinist from the first district that she had seen flirting with another woman after a concert that she had attended, but why would such a talent musician take interest in such a mediocre pianist like Haruka? That girl didn't seem to the sort to be a racing fan either…

"Have you felt loss?"

Hino Rei stood outside of the white curtains of her mother's hospital room. Suddenly, the gentle pulsing beeps turned into a single, long, droning tone. Horrified, she peered through the curtains. There was no life in her mother's body. Silent teas streamed down face. She sniffed loudly and wiped her eyes. Finally, her father seemed to remember her.

"Rei," he said stiffly, looming above her, "Your mother is dead… I am sorry. I will be sending you off to your grandfather's shrine to learn to be a miko. You can go there in a few days." He turned to his aide, "Kaidou, would you have her driven back home? She doesn't need to see this."

Rei said nothing, letting tears stream down her face, her heart growing cold.

Kaidou gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with a handkerchief and handed it to her. "Come Rei-chan," he said with a smile and taking her hand, "Let's go home. Everything will be alright…"

Kino Makoto forced herself to stay away a little longer. Her parents were long overdue from their trip to Hong Kong. Their plane should have gotten in hours ago.

Suddenly, there was a sharp knock at the door. Makoto jumped excitedly to her feet and hurried to unbolt the door, ready to jump into her parents' arms. She flung the door wide open, but instead of her parents, she found a woman dressed in a police uniform."

Before the tired girl could assess the situation, the woman spoke. "Is this the Kino residence?" she asked.

Makoto nodded and answered hesitantly, "I am Kino Makoto."

"I am so sorry I have to tell you this," the police officer started, her face pained, "But the plane that your parents were on went down over the open ocean. There were no survivors."

Left speechless with shock, Makoto did not even realize that she was crying until her body shook with silent sobs.

The woman tenderly reached down to hold her shoulders, "We know you don't have any other living relatives. We are going to have you put into the nearest orphanage where—"

"No!" Makoto shrieked and pulled away from the woman's grasp. Her voice cracked with sobs. "I don't want new parents! I don't want to leave here! I can live on my own!"

"But—" the woman protested, backing away.

"Get out!" the young girl screamed and slammed the door in the face of the officer. She quickly bolted the door then turned to rest her back against it, ignoring the pleas of the woman. She slid down the door to hug her knees, her sobs muffled by her lap…

"Have you felt rejected?"

"Papa!" Tomoe Hotaru called, wandering through the empty halls of her mansion. She called again, "Papa!"

Just then, a red-haired woman in a crisp white lab coat rounded the counter in front of her. "Papa is busy right now, Hotaru-chan," she said, false sweetness so thick in her voice that it was almost tangible.

"Stop pretending to be my mother Kaolinite," Hotaru said bitterly, "I want to see Papa!"

Without warning, Kaolinite reach out and smacked the small girl firmly across the face. "Don't use that tone with me!" she snapped. "I told you, he's busy right now!" With a scowl, Kaolinite turned on her heels and stormed off.

Hotaru's cheek stung and her eyes watered, but she resisted the urge to cry out. "Leave Papa alone, Kaolinite!" she shrieked after her, but broke into a violet fit of coughing. She clung desperately to the doorframe nearest to her as her knees gave in and she fought fainting. No one seemed to care about her worsening sickness…

Mizuno Ami returned, again, to an empty penthouse. She took off her shoes and padded softly through the silent rooms towards the kitchen and peered at the message board that she and her mother kept.

'_Sorry I missed you yesterday. I'll be home very late again. Do not wait up for me. Don't forget jyuuku tonight. I'm counting on you to do your best!'_

Ami wrote in reply, _'Do your best at the hospital! I will leave some dinner in the refrigerator for you.'_

Selecting a frozen meal of vegetables and udon noodles from her freezer, Ami popped it in the microwave and set the timer. While she waited for the food to cook, she found herself staring at a small painting of a mountain landscape hanging on the wall opposite of her. It had been a birthday gift from her father two years ago. Ami rarely saw her father, since her parents divorced when she was very young. She hardly knew him, so she did not miss him.

Somehow, it seemed, that she was missing her mother less and less. Ami had grown from being a little girl while her mother wasn't watching and hardly seemed to know her any more. To Ami, it was almost be no different if she didn't have parents at all…

"Have you felt misunderstood?"

"That Aino Minako sure thinks that she rules the world!"

"Just because she lived in London for a while and is captain of the volleyball team doesn't make her queen!"

"She seems to expect boys to fall all over her because she's so beautiful."

"She let that crowd of admirers get to her head."

Aino Minako pretended not to hear the other girls' biting remarks as she ate her lunch on the edge of another group of chatty girls. In truth, she only had a crowd of admirers when she first returned from London. Once people realized that she was just a regular Japanese girl, not British, they drifted away, leaving no real friends. Still, she hung out with the same group of girls for lack of other company. Since London, she hadn't had any true friends…

"He's so cool!" a girl named Eri cooed, pointing to a magazine picture, "Don't you think so, Michiru?"

Kaiou Michiru shrugged, "He's just another idol."

"Only the most attractive today!" Eri retorted, "Don't you think he's cute at all?"

She shrugged again, but amended, "He does sing well."

"Is all you think about music?" Eri demanded, "You're so weird, Michiru. I've never seen you show any interest in beautiful men that all the other girls go crazy for. It's not normal!"

Laughing nervously, she suggested, "Maybe I really am working too hard at violin." Inside, she was a mess of nerves. Michiru didn't want her only friend to know that she wasn't interested in boys at all at the moment. She constantly feared that Eri would discover that she actually found _her_ attractive. Eri would undoubtedly run from her. If only she could really be herself…

The cluster of Sol senshi stood awkwardly together, each tearfully recalling some of her worst memories.

"But you, Sailor Moon," Sailor Mu said slowly, a look of satisfaction growing across her face, "You have never known pain!"

Before any of her soldiers could react, Sailor Mu, Nu, and Lambda lunged forward and seized Sailor Moon. Almost instantly, they disappeared, leaving only Usagi's terrified scream hanging on the air. Their trances were broken.

"Let's go after her!" Makoto said urgently and sprinted forward.

"We have no idea where they took her," Sailor Pluto argued, "We need a plan of action!"

"There's no time to plan!" Rei yelled, "Sailor Moon is in danger!"

"Maybe if Mercury hadn't been scared and backed away, she could have done something to prevent this," Haruka accused sharply.

"Oh really?" Mercury said dangerously, dismissing her visor, "Maybe if you weren't so lost in self-pity—"

"Self-pity? I saw both you and Minako lost in self-pity too!" Haruka snapped.

"It's not like I could have done anything," Minako retorted, "Those that still have powers should have reacted faster."

"I would have liked to see you react that fast," Saturn said, glaring at Minako.

"Yea," Rei added, "You had the best short at them, Neptune. Why didn't you take it? Sympathetic to Lambda's story?"

"I would never sympathize with an enemy!" Neptune shrieked then attacked, "Neptune Deep—"

Before she could finish, an ominous laughter cut through the air and the darkness lifted. The girls found themselves in a large hall with a great throne in front of them. Sitting on it was a Sailor Senshi dressing in dark blue and pink with waving black hair. Behind her, shackled to the wall, was Sailor Moon.

"Sailor Moon!" Mercury breathed with relief. She could see the others relax around her.

The figure on the throne laughed again, "I was enjoying watching you fight. The strongest team of senshi in the White Universe can't even work as a team."

"Who are you?" Rei demanded.

"I am Sailor Seishou-Yami," she said, smiling, "and I would like to welcome you to my humble home."

"Release her!" Makoto ordered, stepping forward with Rei and Minako.

"Take us instead," Haruka agreed, joining her at the front.

"I intend to take all of you anyway," Seishou-Yami laughed.

Sailor Mu appeared from the shadows and said smugly, "Now, Sailor Moon, is when you learn pain."

"No, don't do it, please!" Sailor Moon begged.

"Sorry, Moon Princess!" Seishou-Yami smiled then turned her attention to the group in front of her. Suddenly, she stood and yelled, "Ankoku Power!"

Rei, Minako, Makoto, and Haruka were enveloped in dark energy. Usagi screamed in horror but could not avert her eyes while the four girls shrieked in pain. When the power disappeared, they lay motionless on the ground.

"Haruka!" Neptune shrieked, tears already welling up in the corners of her eyes while the other remaining senshi stood like statues in shock. She turned to Seishou-Yami with fire in her eyes and screamed, "Deep Submerge!"

Nothing happened. Neptune stared at her hands in disbelief.

Seishou-Yami summoned another figure from the shadows, "Sailor Sigma, fetch Sailor Mahou-Henshin." She then snapped her fingers and the bodies of the four fallen girls disappeared.

"No!" Sailor Moon wailed.

Seishou-Yami ignored her, "You cannot attack, Sailor Neptune, because you have been cut off from Mahou-Henshin and your power has finally run out. You, all of you, are useless Sailor Senshi."

Saturn's glaive slipped from her hands to the cold stone floor as she was overcome with shock. It clattered eerily.

"I'm so sorry it had to end this way, Princess," Pluto said softly.


End file.
